You haven’t heard from me for over a month because I have been diligently working on my cookbook. This is an incredibly daunting task. I honestly did not know what I was getting myself into when I decided to take on this project.
I have been writing recipes for over 25 years and my recipe writing style has changed and, actually, evolved over the years. I always use my recipes when I cook and never really noticed the style changes but now that I am reviewing, editing, correcting and just plain reading the recipes I see how much work I have to do. I have one very big section just about complete and several of my family members and friends have so kindly volunteered to help me proof. I’ve set some deadlines for myself and one of them is getting the book completed and to the publisher by the end of the year. I might make my “self imposed” deadline and working towards it is the reason I haven’t been blogging. I am not even doing any dinner parties since I am spending 6 to 7 hours daily working on the book.
There really is no downside to the process as each day is a new learning experience and I am enjoying every minute of it. But I will say this to all of you that are working in an office: How the heck do you stand it? Sitting for hour after hour in front of the computer is enough to make me crazy. I’ve been doing physical labor all of these years and never realized just how much I love it.
Anyway, I don’t want any of you to forget me while I am working on the book and not blogging so much. To make sure that doesn’t happen I am posting some recipes to help keep me in your thoughts.
I am cooking dinner 4 or 5 nights a week and with being at the computer most of the time I am not thinking of what to prepare until about an hour before my husband gets home from work. Lately I have become the queen of the quick meal. Here is one of those quick meals from just the other night. I made a quick trip to the fish market, Finster Murphy’s here in town, and picked up a bag of mussels. It took no time to get it together since I had some of the ingredients already prepared: For instance, the cherry tomato compote and chicken stock were already in my refrigerator. If you don’t have homemade chicken stock on hand you can always use a low sodium chicken broth from the grocery store. The cherry tomato compote is simple to make and will add only a little more prep time to this mussel recipe. I made the mussels and a salad for us in less than an hour including the trip to the store.
Hope this peaks your interest and maybe you’ll make it for dinner tonight.
This is a simple salad of arugala, ripe nectarines, candied pecans (I always have these on hand) and poached egg dressed with XVOO and Balsamic Vinegar. No cheese on this salad as I never serve it with fish or seafood.
Arugala, Nectarines, Poached Egg
Mussels with Cherry Tomato Compote
Mussels In Tomato Compote
When buying mussels be sure to tell your fish monger you want clean mussels with beards removed. If you are purchasing the mussels at a busy, reputable fish market most likely this will already be done. Buy the mussels in the mesh bag and check for the date of harvesting. Mussels should not smell fishy but should have the aroma of the sea; sweet and fresh smelling with a slight fragrance of seaweed. My favorite mussels are from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia. They are small and sweet and tender and just wonderful.
Serves 4 As A First Course
2 Tablespoons XVOO
½ Cup Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
4 Roasted Garlic Cloves, Smashed
½ Cup Madeira Wine
½ Cup Home Made Chicken Stock or Low Sodium Canned Chicken Broth
1 Cup Cherry Tomato Compote (Recipe Follows)
1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 Lbs. Small Mussels, Cleaned and Beards Removed
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
4 Thick Slices Crispy Garlic Crostini
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and roasted garlic and sauté until onions just begin to soften. Add the wine and stock and reduce by half. Add the cherry tomato compote, salt, pepper, and crushed pepper flakes and bring to a rapid boil. Lower the heat and simmer slowly uncovered for 10 minutes.
Add the mussels to the pan and toss to get the mussels and compote incorporated. Bring to a boil and cover the pan. Cook until the mussels are completely open, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Divide the mussels and sauce between 4 bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Put the Crostini on the edge of the bowl with part of it in the mussels.
Serve immediately.
Cherry Tomato Compote
Cherry Tomato Compote
This great sauce is super easy to prepare and wonderful on grilled or sautéed chicken, shrimp and fish. You can add just about any chopped fresh herb you like at the end. I put the whole sprig of basil into the sauce at the beginning and let it cook with the sauce until the very end when I take the sprig out and discard it. I leave it whole because I like how the basil infuses the sauce and if you do this with chopped basil from the get go the basil turns dark grey. I like the super bright parsley for color. Even if you put chopped basil in at the end, it will still turn dark.
Makes About 3 Cups
3 Tablespoons XVOO
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Divided in Half
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Medium Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
2 Pints Red Grape or Small Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in Half Lengthwise
1 Cup White Wine
1 Sprig Fresh Basil
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt Total
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper Total
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Heat the XVOO and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until butter is melted and bubbly. Add the minced garlic and the red onion, half of the salt and pepper and all of the red pepper flakes and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato halves and the basil sprig and stir to combine. Sauté the mixture until the tomatoes begin to soften and add the rest of the salt and pepper. Add the wine and reduce by about a third. Lower heat and cook until the sauce begins to thicken and the tomatoes are very soft and have fallen apart, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter a little at a time until the butter is incorporated. Stir the shopped parsley through the sauce.
There you have it, a quick dinner recipe. Speaking of dinner it’s getting near that time and I better get my thoughts in order as to what I will make tonight. I think I’ll just wait until I get to the market to decide.
Bon Appétit
camille@camillecooksforyou.com is where you can get a hold of me anytime.